Makerbot Smart Extruder Plus

The Makerbot Smart Extruder Plus is the new upgraded version of the original Smart Extruder developed by Makerbot for their Replicator 3D printers.

The Smart Extruder Plus has had several improvements over its predecessor to increase performance and reliability.

A substantial amount of testing has gone into developing this product, 5,800 prints and 160,000 hours of printing have made this Makerbot's most tested product to date.

4 key areas were the main focus for improvent with this new design, they are:

- Better Connectivity

- Improved Homing

- Reduced Clogging

- Less Filament Jams

PTFE Tube

The length of the PTFE tube has been increased from the previous version to extend all the way from the hot end to the drive wheel. This reduces the the risk of filament breaking off inside the Smart Extruder and causing a jam. (**wouldn't this mean that if filament did break off INSIDE the tube that it will be harder to remove? unless the tube itself was removable**)

Encoded Wheel

Overall mold of the wheel has been re-designed to ensure that there is constant contact between the filament and the encoder wheel. The Encoder Wheel measures small increments of movement and relays this information to the Filament Presence Sensor, if the wheel stops spinning the filament jam sensor will pause the print and alert the user. The re-design of the Encoder Wheel means that there is now less friction in the system to prevent under extrusion and cut down on false filament detection. (**big problem with the previous edition giving false filament readings**)

Filament Presence Sensor

This sensor works in conjunction with the encoder wheel to automatically pause the print when it detects that the filament has jammed or run out. It will then alert the user when it is time to reload to continue printing. (**no further information on whether this was changed in the new design**)

Connectivity

Longer connecting pins and stronger magnets help to ensure that the Smart Extruder remains firmly connected to the printer during operation minimising the risk of the Smart Extruder disconnecting mid-print or having connection errors.

Hot End

This component moves up and down to tell the position sensor whether or not the build plate is leveled (**Unsure if this has been changed from previous edition, no further info was provided**)